Deuteronomy 31:23 (LSB)

Passage

Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 31:21 Then it will be, when many evils and troubles have found them, that this song will answer them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouths of their seed); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.”

Deuteronomy 31:22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the sons of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:23 Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

Deuteronomy 31:24 And it happened, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete,

Deuteronomy 31:25 that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "commissioned", "joshua", "said", "strong", "courageous", "shall", "bring", and "sons". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "commissioned" and "joshua", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "So Moses wrote this song the same..." into verse 24's "And it happened when Moses finished writing...", so "commissioned" and "joshua" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "commissioned" and "joshua" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.